


Familia Perdida

by Piehead



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Angst, M/M, Minor Character Death, Sadness, Transphobia, Uh Cecil comforting Carlos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-01
Updated: 2017-09-01
Packaged: 2018-12-22 10:59:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11965989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Piehead/pseuds/Piehead
Summary: After being back, Carlos is gone again. And then he returns. And Cecil holds him. And they are together, as family should be. But sometimes isn't.





	Familia Perdida

**Author's Note:**

> So my friend Linn started this and I asked her if I could finish it and she said yes! Gosh, Linn, I really do appreciate this. I'll ask the secret police to pass over your house during the mandated raids this month. River, you will probably receive the extra raid. Look out for that.

Today, they were sitting across from each other at the table in the kitchen. Cecil had insisted that he wanted to be able to see Carlos’s face while they ate dinner. Carlos had been happy to oblige. Yesterday, when Cecil had insisted that they eat dinner on the couch so they could be as close as possible, Carlos had agreed just as easily. A lot of things were easy since Carlos came home. Clearing things away to make room for a shared habitat  again . Letting the illegal acknowledgement of certain pieces of properly protected information be spoken by Carlos’s perfect mouth. Kissing that perfect mouth. Oh, and smiling. Smiling became as easy as breathing.

Halfway through their dinner, Carlos received a phone call. Cecil let him go, of course. Phone calls were important things to take. Though Carlos’ face fell a bit upon seeing the caller ID, he still smiled that perfect smile at Cecil and stood up to take the call. Cecil could have exercised his personal will and stood to listen in on the conversation, but he loved Carlos enough to wait until he returned to the dinner table. It was impolite after all.

But when Carlos returned he did not smile. He did not meet Cecil’s eyes. His hands were shaking and he was upset.

“What’s wrong?” Cecil asked him, taking Carlos’s hand in his. Carlos still did not meet Cecil’s eyes. He would not look at his husband, but he kept shaking, and his lip trembled. Then, he spoke.

“My father,” Carlos said to Cecil, “passed away. He’s dead.”

Cecil did not know how to respond. It had been a long time since anyone resembling a father had been in Cecil’s life. It had been a long time since he had  _ known _ a parent. His mother had not been in his life often, or for very long, when she had been there when she was. The only person he could have ever considered motherly was his sister, and even then she had been too young to care for a child his age for so long.

It was easy to forget people had them sometimes. Parents, that was. So many children in Night Vale didn’t have them, and were raised by a Community Parent, assigned to them by the City Council. But they were invisible parents; the citizens of Night Vale never  _ saw _ them.

But Cecil was sure Carlos had had a good relationship with his own mother! Most others tended to have wonderful relationships with their parents, like Janice did with Abby. And Cecil didn’t blame his mother for anything that happened when he was younger. Sometimes parents needed to do things, sometimes they left. It was all natural and part of the parenting process.

“And I-I’m not surprised he died! People die! Their cells stop regenerating and their hearts stop beating and they’re dead and they start breaking down!” Carlos babbled. Even so distraught, Cecil still thought Carlos was cute, and he wanted to tell him so. But he waited for Carlos to finish.

Carlos sighed.

“My nephew called me… to tell me he died. And then he said that the family thought I was insensitive for not participating in the funeral arrangements, and that I could have at least called! Cecil, I haven’t seen them in over ten years.” The distress in Carlos’ voice alarmed Cecil. This was really something that bothered him. “I have to go to the funeral.”

Cecil could not believe his ears. He had just gotten Carlos back, they had just been reunited! But Carlos needed to go to a funeral, Carlos needed to leave again. But, maybe…

“I could go with you,” Cecil offered.

“No.”

The answer stung Cecil. He sure Carlos could see it on his face, that Cecil was so surprised and a bit hurt. Carlos could read Cecil like one of his science books.

He tried to soften the blow a bit, “My family isn’t- I don’t want them to see you how they see me.”

Cecil did not know how they saw Carlos.

“I’ve been away from them for over a decade and they probably still don’t respect me. I won’t let them treat you how they treat me.”

Carlos looked determined, and really he was handsome with that look on his face. But he seemed to forget that Cecil could hold his own against any unsavory relatives. He had protected Mayor Cardinal so many times before. He was familiar with fending off the secret police in the required monthly raids that happened on their apartment. Cecil knew how to protect himself.

“You mean a lot to me Cecil. I don’t know if I could handle knowing that they see you badly because of me. I’m going to leave first thing in the morning and I’ll be back before you know it.”

Carlos was leaving him. Cecil knew it would only be temporary, but Carlos was still leaving, even after coming back such a short time ago.

Cecil did not know if he could handle it, but Carlos deserved to see his father one last time, he supposed.

“Okay.”

Carlos left that morning, with a small weekend bag, and Cecil did not see him again for two days. When he returned, he engulfed Cecil in his arms, and then he sat Cecil down to tell him how the trip went…

The moment Carlos stepped into the church for the funeral he was assaulted with dirty looks. No one looked happy to see him there, save his nephew, Edward, who had called him. Even dressed in a black like everyone else Carlos managed to stand out.

He was part of the main family, so he was supposed to sit next to his mother, as the oldest child and her only son. But she did not make space for him at her side. She did not look his way. She did not acknowledge him. She did not have a son. Alejandra Sanchez had never had a son, and she never would.

They whispered, of course, as he sat down beside his nephew, the only person there who had attempted to keep in contact with Carlos after he was surreptitiously removed from the family. Ten years was a long time; Edward had grown so big. Carlos managed a small smile at him. Edward smiled back, but was immediately scolded by his mother for even glancing in Carlos’ direction.

Rapid Spanish flew from his younger sister’s mouth, and Carlos understood every word of it. He didn’t make eye contact, knowing he would receive a harsh glare for it. He didn’t want Edward to get in trouble.

The funeral passed tensely. Carlos didn’t expect anyone to speak to him and he walked up to pay his respect to his father. As he made his way up, he heard his youngest sister speak, her words biting.

“He would not have wanted you here,” she hissed. Carlos knew she was right. Carlos knew--he knew his father would have spat in his face if he had been alive. Even still, Carlos said a few words to himself. Thanked his father for helping to bring him into the world, appreciated that the man looked nice in his final resting clothes. No more frown lines on his forehead.

“You were a good man when you weren’t angry at me,” Carlos sighed. He stepped away from the casket and the Priest finished the ceremony. They would take the coffin to be buried and then there would be the repast. Carlos knew he wasn’t invited on principal. Of course, he still had to pay respect to his mother as well.

“I am sorry you have to deal with this. Papi’s death is a tragedy and your wellbeing is-”

“None of your concern,” his mother spat. Alejandra had no respect for Carlos and didn’t need his condolences either.

Carlos stopped. She was still bitter, then.

“You disgrace the Sanchez name,” his mother said, her voice trembling. The tears in her eyes weren’t from grief, oh no. Carlos knew they were from anger. “Rejecting faith, altering your body, masquerading as what you are not! You should feel ashamed for even considering being here, knowing you are not wanted!”

“Mami, please,” Carlos tried to placate her, but she would not be.

Alejandra did not hold back her insults. “My oldest daughter is dead and some asshole calling herself ‘Carlos’ killed her. Do not speak to me as if you are a child of mine anymore,  _ Carmen _ . You are nothing to me.”

The biting words along with the use of a dead name left Carlos reeling a bit, his mind trying to wrap around it all. He had figured his mother would still be upset with him, but not to this extent. The way she shouted at him, in front of the  _ entirety _ of their family; it wasn’t just to insult him, it was to make a fool of him in front of his relatives and to degrade him. He was not afforded respect in this family.

Edward looked a bit ashamed behind his mother. Rosa looked proud that her mother had done what she did. Edward did not meet her gaze when she glanced back at him to tell him not speak to Carlos again.

“...I understand,” Carlos stated.

He did not say more than that. He did not say anything more to anyone. He did not talk to anyone once the funeral was over, not even the children that were intrigued by him. He would not have them get in trouble for interacting with him.

When the body was buried, Carlos went to the airport. He cancelled the hotel room he had planned to stay in for another night. He bought an earlier flight and he returned to Night Vale, where his only family left was.

The story was fairly short, when Carlos told Cecil. But Cecil could sense all the pain, and the sadness, and he pulled Carlos into his arms. Carlos did not cry. He did not say anything. He simply held onto Cecil and clung to the only family that matter anymore.

Cecil wept enough for the both of them anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> I have tissues but they are in the shark tank if anyone wants them. You know the deal. Get in line, head toward the shark tank, cover yourself in chum, and be prepared to have the sharks judge you, like "Oh, you covered yourself in sardines? They're so last season. And those fish guts? Ugh" and "I'm just saying, those sunfish eyes with that sea urchin spine really do clash."
> 
> Ty for read


End file.
